ContributIng to a Sustainable Urban Future

Individuals’ personal actions can contribute to a more sustainable urban future and facilitate a gradual move towards policy development and institutional change to address sustainability.

Some possible ways that individuals can contribute to a sustainable urban future:

CommutingReducing car dependence and using alternate forms of travel is one way to be more sustainable. A measure of this is census data on travel to work. In 2016 in Greater Sydney 52.7% of residents drove to work while 3.9% travelled by car as a passenger. 16.9% travelled by train, 6.1% travelled by bus and 0.4% travelled by ferry or tram. 0.7% of residents of Greater Sydney cycled, while 4.0% walked to work. In Sydney’s Inner West in 2016, 35.4% travelled by car to work (2.6% as a passenger), 24.9% travelled to work by train, 10.9% by bus, 2.2% by ferry or tram, 2.6% cycled and 5.2% walked to work. Residents in the Inner West were more likely to travel to work by train, bus and bicycle than in Greater Sydney as a whole. They were also less likely to drive to work. The greater use of public transport by Inner West residents contributes to the sustainability of the area. Statistics taken from:https://profile.id.com.au/inner-west/travel-to-work

Responsible consumption and productionAn important aspect of creating a sustainable urban future is the decisions consumers make when they purchase goods and services. This can range from the types of shops people visit to the shares people choose to buy. In relation to food, people may choose to purchase produce which has been grown locally in urban farms, and purchase ethically sourced and cruelty free products. Free range chickens and eggs and grass fed beef are examples where people who consume meat can reduce their environmental impact. Vegetarianism and veganism are choices some may make to reduce their impact on the environment even further.

The suburb of Newtown is known colloquially as the vegetarian capital of Sydney, and was home to Australia’s first vegetarian butcher, a vegan gelateria, and a vegan pizzeria among others. While the Red Lion Hotel in Rozelle sells only vegan meals and wines. In Glebe, The Cruely Free Shop sells vegan cleaning products, pet supplies and snacks.

WasteManaging waste effectively reduces the raw materials needed to make products and reduces the amount of rubbish the ends up in landfill. The mantra Reduce, Reuse and Recycle encourages individuals to rethink and manage how they dispose of their waste. New Return and Earn vending machines have monetised recycling to encourage more people to actively recycle.

Rotting food waste contributes methane gas into the atmosphere. Composting and worm farms can process this food waste so that it can be productive waste, adding nutrients to soil to help grow more food.

BiodiversityTo encourage native bird species, residents can plant native plants in their garden. Providing a pond can encourage frogs. Depending on local council regulations, individuals can remove the grass on council verges (the part between the footpath and the road) and replace it with native shrubs and grasses. Some part of Marrickville such as Tamar Street and Neville street are part of the Marrickville Sustainable Streets Program and have converted their verges into native plantings.

Bushcare programs are run by community volunteers and involve weeding, reenforcing sites and planting native species. An example of a bushcare site in Sydney’s Inner West is on the grounds of Sydney Secondary College, Balmain Campus. This is one of the last remaining remnants of native bush land on the Balmain peninsula. For a range of other bushcare sites visit: https://www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/bushcare-programs

Energy usageIndividuals can reduce their energy usage by installing energy efficient light bulbs, purchasing products with a high energy rating, switching appliances off at the powerpoint, hanging clothes on a line instead of using a dryer, using a gas hot water system instead of an electric one.